


"Fuck You." Love, Carmella.

by AcquiredMadness



Series: Backstage: The Remixes [3]
Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/F, and u had carmella's plan in let the flames begin, carmella's innocence of helping a friend?, here she is for the third time, or sasha's power of encouraging bayley?, remember charlotte and mella tag match against baysha?, so u had sasha's surprise party, uh oh, we're developing more into the history of baymella and the future of baysha, well dammit here is a fanfiction remix of that match, who will prevail above all?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 11:49:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20834972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcquiredMadness/pseuds/AcquiredMadness
Summary: Last week, Carmella had created a plan to show Bayley a mirror of herself in order to save her from walking the path of destruction, hand in hand with the toxicity that is Sasha Banks. Not getting the attention she needed, Carmella tweaks that plan slightly to force Bayley to take her seriously. Now, this week, everything is forced in the ring when Carmella is paired up with Charlotte to face both Sasha and Bayley in the new Chase Arena on the last episode of Tuesday night Smackdown before they move to FOX.Yet, despite everything, was this is the right move for Carmella? Is she willing to put everything on the line to save Bayley or is Bayley beyond saving?





	"Fuck You." Love, Carmella.

**Author's Note:**

> This is now officially a series. Backstage: The Remixes, where I add a fanfiction touch to answer for some of the the canon storylines going on in the division. You had "Surprise Party! Hosted by Sasha Banks" and "Let The Flames Begin". And now, enter the third installment of the ongoing Baysha story. 
> 
> Enjoy! It's a lot.

Whenever there is a breakup of any kind, romantic, platonic, or even business, the first motion of action done is to erase any memory of that person, place, or time. It's a less drastic and invasive tactic than Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind's method of deleting memories but it gets the job done. Late in the night when the average person should be fast asleep for the following day, Carmella sits on her hotel bed, wide awake, right clicking 'DELETE' on every picture and video she comes across of her and Bayley.

Well…..that's what she wishes she had the guts to do. Her plan was to delete everything but each time she sees a photo, she thinks about the history behind it and it takes her through a ride of emotions. Sometimes she'll cry, she'll get angry, she'll laugh, or she'll find herself reliving the moment within her thoughts. But...she needs to delete them. She needs to delete _ something _, that way it feels like she's taking back control. 

Scrolling down the media folder on her laptop, Carmella clicks on a video file titled, "Poolside. July 2016". She closes her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. She's well aware of the mental spiral she's causing by watching all her recorded videos of Bayley as if they were Netflix episodes. She knows she should stop. She had just won the 24/7 championship title! Something that everyone is trying to get their hands on, men and women, she has it. And instead of celebrating this golden win, here she is, crying her eyes out like a girl that has been recently dumped. 

Despite it all, she presses play anyways. 

The sound of the video plays through her small built laptop speakers and it's nothing but loud laughs, loud music, and even louder splashes of water. Miami, Florida. Carmella remembers this trip vividly. They had planned to visit Miami in July for Bayley's birthday weekend. With her birthday being on Friday, they left Orlando on Thursday with the plan of coming back that Monday. Bayley wanted to have an easygoing birthday weekend while Carmella wanted to go big and exciting, starting from booking a suite at The Mayfair at Coconut Grove, a 4-star luxury hotel, instead of a cheap Airbnb.

_ "Venetian Suite?! Mella! This is like $150 a night! For four nights! Why did you book that room?! You have to cancel it!" _

_ "I just put it on my card, we're fine! Bayley, we're here to celebrate you being alive one more year! We're either going big or staying home!" _

Surviving Bayley's heart attack and convincing her to spend the next few days _ not _worrying, they begin her Friday birthday morning on the hotel's rooftop pool, open to only current hotel members.

Carmella follows the video somberly as she watches her past self trying to prop her phone camera up to face the part of the pool her and Bayley hung out in. Bayley, in her large sunglasses and hair in a high bun, floats around in the shallow end right before Carmella does a running canonball into the water, splashing Bayley completely.

A hot tear races down Carmella's face with her eyes so watery, her vision is being blurred by 70%. Carmella has never been suicidal. Never experienced wanting to hurt or kill herself. However, if someone ever asked her what's the closest she's been to the edge, she would paint this very moment. The moment of both desperation and despair. The willingness to subject herself to harm, knowing she can turn the other way. Her blade of choice being her mouse pad with every tap being one act of damage and the voices and laughter from these old memories being the flesh wound, causing pain to not only her body but to her mind and spirit. 

Her cries are muffled by air that holds the ever looping visuals of Bayley looking at her like they've never professed their love for each other once, like she's never been there for her even when Bayley didn't want to be there for herself. Bayley wouldn't give her the decency for a moment of privacy. She wouldn't give her the respect of apologizing for Sasha's prison inmate-like behavior when she attacked her. What she was able to do is look at her sideways when daring to ask-

_ "Apologize for what?" she said. _

Amidst the windrush of emotions towards this situation, Carmella confirms within herself that she is not upset that they aren't together. They've been exes for a couple years since 2016 yet that never prevented them from going back to best in the world friends. That's one thing she loved about their relationship. Many people always say, you can't be friends with your exes, and for a while, Carmella believed that to be an accurate statement. Yet, Bayley proved that wrong. After their breakup, they always kept in touch, always made themselves available for each other, and most importantly, have always been able to communicate no matter the topic. That's what she misses from this. She's losing her best friend, her confidant, her ride or die, all to corruption. And the fact that Bayley can't see it but _ she can, _she's trying with her entire being to save Bayley from touching the poisonous spindle. But instead of taking heed and snapping out of the spell, all Bayley does is push her to the side and extends her hand towards her destruction anyways.

That's what makes this damn near impossible for Carmella to deal with. She doesn't want to witness the death of her best friend.

She sniffles back, using the ends of her now damp shirt to wipe at her face for the 23rd time. 

She then glides her finger against her mouse pad to right click and hover over the delete button-

"_Woooah! Don't do that! Don't do that to me, Mella _!" Bayley yells out.

Carmella's eyes dart back to video still playing.

Bayley uses her hands to reach out and grab Carmella who is having a giggling fit.

"I thought you loved me?" Bayley pulls her in tightly, Carmella's back to her front, as Carmella ducks her head with a wide, mischievous grin. Bayley tickles her side as puts her face closer. "Hm? I thought you loved me."

"I do love you!" Carmella squeals.

"Then, if you love me, you would fight _ for _ me and not fight _ against _me. You're supposed to be on my team, remember?" 

"Okay, okay! I am on your team. Team Baymella."

"Team Baymella."

"Team Baymella foreveeeeeeer!" 

Carmella turns to the side and plants a kiss on Bayley's cheek. She then does a full 180° spin to give Bayley an equally sweet kiss on the lips. 

Bayley's hands travel under the sun warmed water, wrapping her arms around Carmella's sleek hips as they kiss more passionately with very little care at who is looking in their direction.

Just then, Bayley ejects Carmella into the air with a forceful toss up. Carmella flails her arms, screaming Bayley's name, before she crashes back into the water. 

Bayley holds her side from laughing too hard by the time Carmella emerges to the surface. Sunglasses still intact like a rockstar, Bayley adds a bit of distance between her and her girlfriend, just in case Carmella tries anything in retaliation.

"Bayley!"

"That's for dunking me earlier! I told you I was going to get you back! When you least expected it!"

Carmella rubs the water from her eyes so she can see and smoothes back her hair before a lightbulb flipped on.

"Ooh! I have an idea!" she claps excitedly as she swims towards Bayley. "Let's have a pool match! Signatures and finishers only!"

Carmella slams her laptop close and brings her knees up to her chest. The pain was too much too bare that it was actually burning her inside. Her tears came out in full force, intense sobbing that rattled her body and pierced her lungs. She couldn't hold onto a steady breath even if her life depended on it. 

Sasha's breathing becomes harsh and worn as her moans rev into a more rugged inflection. Her cadence of rhythm has been gradually getting faster as she rests her palms flatly on Bayley's upper abdomen. She can feel the core in her own stomach tightening with every swivel of her hips. This soon would mark her third climax of the night.

The wide, full windows leading out to their outside balcony is kept open with the curtains peeled to the side. Being on the top floor of this lavish, San Francisco hotel, the hotel she's having Vince McMahon pay for, Sasha is not shy about the windows being open while her and Bayley make a scene.

"_It's not like anyone can see us," _ Sasha told Bayley earlier in the night when Bayley asked her about the windows not being covered. " _ Plus, the view from up here is gorgeous. Why hide it?" _

The city lights of the night cast a glow on Sasha and her luminous and long, electric blue hair as she throws her head back. Bayley's hands caress Sasha's warm sides before she reaches up towards her bouncing breasts. Sasha lifts her hands and places them on top of Bayley's, as if to keep her there. 

Her moans are only getting louder and louder while Bayley has a small pant going herself. There are times when Bayley is putting in the work to melt Sasha into the mattress and there are times where Sasha works twice as hard to be extra flamboyant. Similar to a Vegas show, a performer could have three shows lined up for three days in a row and each show would be different than the last. Whether it's a new routine, new costume, or a new solos from the band, you never feel like you're rewatching the same show. Every time there is something new to catch your breath. Safe to say, the new and improved Sasha has mastered the art of giving a performance and satisfying the audience.

Not to say the previous Sasha couldn't put it down when she needed to, however, Sasha with blue hair has a completely different energy that also translates extremely well into the bedroom. 

In other words: Blue Sasha fucks differently.

Bayley can feel herself teetering with every movement Sasha created on top of her. She didn't expect the night to become so vigorous, so fast, especially since Sasha had a pretty enduring match with Nikki Cross just a few hours ago. Bayley typically likes to take show nights slow since she's been pulling double duty for both Smackdown and Raw for a while. Nonetheless, Sasha wanted it and she found a way to rile Bayley up just enough to give it to her.

But instead of having a more relaxed and dare say, "average" sex for the night for both their sake, Sasha challenged to bring out the _ big guns _. She simply doesn't settle for average anymore and she's not going to allow Bayley to neither.

Bayley closes her eyes as she strains her neck, ears perked up to hear every sound Sasha makes. Sasha slides her hands from her chest and creeps down to Bayley's beautifully toned neck. Her slender fingers carefully wrap around Bayley's throat before she proceeds to squeeze. She pounces Bayley back harder, her blue crystal swaying from neck as she rode more feverishly. 

"_Go faster….Fuck me harder, Bayley _ . _ FUCK. Me. _"

Bayley grits her teeth, feeling the tightness of Sasha's grip on her neck. It wasn't tight to the point she was fighting for air but it was just the right pressure to create an additional sense of stimulation - something Sasha, of course, introduced to her.

But with the demand of wanting more, wanting her to do more than she's already doing, Bayley musters up the stored energy and strength to take back control after letting Sasha drive for a bit. Bayley uses both hands to grab onto Sasha's ass and changes their position with a swift flip, this time having Sasha on her back and Bayley above her.

"You don't like me being on top for one second, do you?" Sasha adjusts herself on the incredibly soft, tempur-pedic King sized bed, surrounded by cozy white sheets and fluffy white pillows.

"Oh, I love you being on top." Bayley reassures her as she combs her fingers through her hair, flipping it over to one side. "I just love you better like this...looking up at me...watch me break you in."

Bayley separates Sasha's legs, putting one by her shoulder to achieve the right angle she wanted. Slowing up with steady strokes, watching her slick workings of sliding in and out, she holds Sasha's leg against her chest as she quickens the tempo.

Already, Sasha felt closer than she did when she was on top. Maybe Bayley was right. Her ability to really take control always turned Sasha on like nothing else. She's never met anyone that knew exactly what to do to her and when like Bayley does. That's why she's internally grateful that she didn't lose her after her Wrestlemania disappearance. That would have wounded her more than anything despite her never showing it in public. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about that has Bayley grabbed the bend of Sasha's legs and pushed it closer to Sasha, knees to chest, as Bayley leaned in, face to face.

Sasha gazes into her expressive, brown eyes as she reaches her hand for the back of Bayley's head, holding her lightly as Bayley stroke gets harder and deeper. She thrusts into Sasha in a rhythmic cadence, pushing the moans out of her with every jolt. Bayley bows her head by Sasha's ear, groaning lightly. This makes Sasha flutter her eyes close. If there is something she loves, it's hearing Bayley in the moment. It's a guaranteed way to soak her within seconds. The gruff she possesses is a definite turn on and hearing Bayley directly in her ear? All defenses are weakened. 

"Is this harder for you, baby? Is this what you wanted?"

Sasha's hair is splayed across the white pillows, holding onto Bayley. She could feel it in her stomach. Sasha stretches over to the side, using the tip of her tongue to trace Bayley's earlobe before she gently bites it.

"Keep it like that," Sasha purrs. "Make me cum again."

Little did Sasha know, Bayley was on the verge of her own climax. She pushes through the feeling by rising back up, keeping Sasha's legs propped up, and stiffening her hips with every buck. Sasha bites her bottom lip as she senses the bubbling in her core again. She's right there. Just a little bit harder. Just a little more….

Only a good 10 seconds is able to pass before Bayley feels it weakening her arms. Her strokes begin to lose its strength as she rolls her eyes back, dropping her mouth open through quickened breaths. Sasha faintly opens her eyelids to watch Bayley lose it.

"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckf….._ UCK _!" Bayley's grip on her legs tightens as she's getting the breath knocked out of her. 

This causes Sasha to sigh out loudly and going limp while getting hit with spasms of her own. The sight of Bayley getting off was just enough to take her there for her third orgasm of the night, just as she wanted.

Bayley slightly leans forward, making sure to separate Sasha's legs before she completely collapsed on top of her. They both lay there, coming down from the high in silence. Sasha relaxes under Bayley's warm body, even loving the heaviness of her breathing. It made her feel alive, it made them feel real. This moment is exactly what she was afraid of losing forever.

The come down lasts for a few silent minutes before Bayley feebly gets up and kisses Sasha on the forehead. Who knows what time it is but, to Bayley, this would be the perfect opportunity to knock out. Tossing off the strap she wore and rolling over to the side, Bayley covers herself with the sheet in hopes of catching some Z's. Sasha, on the other hand, slinks out of the bed and skips over towards the bathroom.

Bayley clears her throat as she reaches over by the nightstand and grabs her bottle of water. "Sasha, you better not stay up like you usually do. You need to get some rest in. Working off little sleep never helps anyone."

There is a silence for a while before Sasha emerges from the bathroom in her custom, black and blue, silk robe, tying the front closed. 

"I don't need much rest for this. This is a elementary."

"Don't forget Charlotte is there too. That is not elementary, she's doctorate school."

Sasha scoffs with a head shake as she climbs onto the bed. "Charlotte doesn't care about that match."

"And how do you know?" Bayley questions. Either Sasha is extremely confident in a win or is in extreme denial to think Charlotte would slack off during a match for _ any _reason. This is Charlotte Flair. The moment the bell dings, she'll stop at nothing to come out on top.

Sasha shakes her head, taking Bayley's water bottle out of her hands and takes a gulp from it. Ice cold water is exactly what she needs after a session like that. 

"There is nothing at stake for her." Sasha wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "A win won't help or hurt her. This is more for Carmella than it is Charlotte. Charlotte is just there for the sake of a tag team."

Bayley simply shrugs. "Still. A fight is a fight."

"How dumb of Carmella for even getting involved. Seriously." Sasha rolls her eyes, crossing her legs at her ankles. Just the thought of what Carmella did to her last week ignites a burning fire of spite in her body. She truly wants to break her face into that white mat.

"But you know what? At the end of the day, it bothers me none because I'll run through the both of them and anyone else before I neuter Becky next month."

Having nothing to really add, Bayley nods her head silently. She begins to lower her eyes right when Sasha looks over at her. 

"Did she tell you why she stupidly signed her death warrant?"

"No," Bayley sighs with a rub of her temple. "She hasn't responded to any of my messages."

"You know, if I had it my way, I would have texted her from your phone to meet you somewhere and then put in a little extra "work" before the match."

"Well, can't even do that when she doesn't interact period."

The room gets silent again. Bayley, suddenly, becomes aware of her slow breathing and feels herself drifting off. Her eyelids are getting heavier and heavier to the point she can't support them anymore…..

"This is all a mind game." Sasha speaks softly, not being able to tell if she's still talking to Bayley or if it's for herself. "All of this. She thinks she can play a psychological game on you to get you to fall."

"Mm?" Bayley barely musters back. It wasn't even a response but a half asleep noise she made in response to hearing Sasha's voice again.

"Think about it. Carmella knows the history between you two. She knows that you guys never had problems and because of that, she knows you're going to have an issue with hitting her." She explains as if she was giving her theory to a popular unsolved mystery.

"Sasha, I've fought Carmella before." Bayley groans, barely speaking English.

"But this is different. You having to fight her in the chamber, the rumble, or whatever all for one match isn't the same as a one on one match. That's personal. She's going to bank on you trying not to hurt her because of that. That's her goal. And let me tell you right now-"

Sasha strokes under Bayley's chin to get her attention. This gets her eyes to blink open a few times, lazily looking up at Sasha. 

"You can't go weak, Bayley. You _ cannot. _ You can't go soft, do you hear me?" she asks firmly yet soft at the same time. This is an ability Bayley never quite understood how Sasha is able to do: to demand with conviction while being gentle about it at the same time. It's like she's holding up a bank at gunpoint but coaxing the tellers with such a calm and serene tone that it lowers the fear in the workers and makes them _ want _to give her the money. Basically an ASMR bank robbery. 

"The moment you go soft is the moment you lose. Just like a shark smelling blood in the water. The moment they feel that someone is vulnerable, they fucking bite. And they don't bite to tickle. They bite to kill." 

Sasha holds Bayley's lower face inside the squeeze of her hand to look at her in her eyes. 

"You will not enter the battlefield to be killed. _ You _ will kill. _ You _ will be the machine. _ You _ will spill blood. You will show _ no weakness _ and…..you will show _ no _mercy." Sasha drills in her, still in her firm yet cool voice. 

"She disrespected you by attacking me and is now too pussy to answer for it. You can't let that slide. _ Ever _."

"I won't." Bayley replies lowly. 

Sasha lets go of her face. "You won't what?"

"I won't let her get into my head." Bayley's voice finds its way back. She's certainly more awake then she was just 30 seconds ago. She maneuvers herself in her sheets to stare straight forward in thought. With the windows still being opened, she finds herself catching a glimpse of the Bay Area right outside. Home. 

"This isn't 2015. I'm not the 'big kid' Bayley from NXT. I have a job to do, a legacy to cement, a division to run, and a love to protect. I don't know if she's acting out because she's jealous of what we have or whatever but she's definitely going off the deep end thinking she can mess up what we built. I mean, look at how she crossed Truth tonight."

Bayley chuckles to herself at this, unbelievably. Her and Sasha watched and it wasn't as if Bayley could say that her move was out of character. Ever since coming to Smackdown, Carmella started feeling herself times one hundred with her whole "Money Mella" attitude. Nonetheless, that moment validated Sasha's claims of Carmella being a shit starter. She was right.

"Mella has been riding with him for nearly a year and she betrayed him in front of everyone to get his title. The same way she betrayed me for whatever attention hungry plan she has. She's going into tomorrow night not having a clue what she's stepping into And if she was smart, she'd ask Truth or Charlotte to fill her in because she's going to come out of there looking fucking stupid."

A slick side grin appears on Sasha's face as she listened to Bayley speak. Every word being said made her filled with dark excitement. Looking down at her with hungry eyes, she growls. 

"You're so fucking sexy when you're upset." 

Bayley glances up at Sasha, already seeing the lust masked all over her face. 

"Oh, nonono, Sasha. No." she quickly covers herself even more under the sheets. 

Sasha slowly unties her robe, her eyes never leaving Bayley despite Bayley trying to hide from her. "I can't help it that you make me want to do filthy things to you."

"Sasha, we just got finished!"

"So?"

"So! I'm tired!"

"Then let me do all the work. I'm fine with giving." Sasha grabs a section of the sheets and proceeds to pull them back to uncover Bayley's naked body.

With no fight left in her, Bayley has no choice but to allow Sasha's fingers crawl over her skin again. "Sasha, C'mon…"

"I'll be faster this time." Sasha touches Bayley's hand, interlocking their fingers together as she brings it up to her lips to kiss. "I promise, papi."

Bayley groans out of defiance.

Dammit.

She turns to Sasha who has a small pout.

"Sasha Mercedes Banks, you are a fucking nymphomaniac."

……..

The crowd's energetic roar can be heard all throughout the brand new Chase Arena during tonight's Smackdown show. For the past 20 minutes, after successfully escaping the women of Smackdown roster, Carmella and Truth find solace in hiding in one of the locker rooms backstage. During their time in there, Carmella includes Truth in her plan with Bayley, laying everything out from beginning to end in hopes of Truth being in to help her since she's completely on her own. 

"Wow, Carmella." Truth says almost dumbfounded. Carmella's legs lay across his lap, being tended to by Truth's massaging hands, as they sit next to each other on the ground, using one of the chairs to block the door. "I can tell you put a lot of thought into that. I honestly didn't know you cared about Bayley that much. _ I didn't even know you guys were a thing! _"

Dejectedly, Carmella sighs. "And that's the whole problem, Truth. We were a while ago but we didn't have a bad ending. It was just bad timing with being on different brands and all. And even today, I still love her enough to try to save her from herself. She's been calling and texting me like crazy but I feel like as long as she around Sasha, she's just not going to get it."

"Some people you can't save, Mella. If someone wants to twerk on the devil in the club, then they are _ beyooond _ saving." Truth tells her matter-of-factly with a straight face.

Carmella stares at Truth with squinted eyes and pursed lips. Her sights roll up to the ceiling in thought, hesitant to speak. 

"I….I could of swore it's 'slow dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight'…..not….that…."

"Yeah!" Truth eagerly turns slightly to face her. "But see, this is different. When you slow dance with the devil in the moonlight, you are allowing him to lead you in the dance. You are allowing him to get into your mind and make things seem like everything is dreamy and fine."

Truth tightly shakes his head with his eyes wide.

"_That ain't Bayley. _ Nah, Bayley is _ passed _ that. Bayley grabbed the devil, took him to the club, and is throwing. that. ass."

Carmella palms her face, hiding her urge to laugh. Truth is always able to say the most wildest things and see them as totally normal with no awareness of how it may sound. And with this earnest face he has on now, seriously explaining his take, Carmella can't help but want to laugh. It's something she's always doing when she's with him.

"And if she's throwing that ass in a circle, that means she's well aware of what's going on. And she likes it! And Sasha likes it because she's the devil!" he exclaims, "They're both grinding in the middle of the dance floor to some Pretty Ricky. Do you remember Pretty Ricky? Them boys and their baby-making songs? I don't know how old you was, probably like eight, but I was on TNA teaming up with Pacman for the World Tag Team Champions-"

"I remember Pretty Ricky, yes." Carmella nods with a mumble of a response and an eyeroll. "I was like 19, 20, not _ eight." _

"Like hotline! On the hotline! 'It's five in the _ morninnnng _ ! And I'm up having phone sex with _ yoooou.'" _ Truth attempts to push out a note in what he thinks is singing one of the group's biggest R&B hit over 10 years ago.

"Okay? Bayley and Sasha are grinding to that song. _ Pelvis to pelvis. _ You can't come between pelvis to pelvis, Carmella!"

There is a stinging on the tip of Carmella's nose as she feels her face heating up and tears beginning to well. Just hearing everything Truth is telling her, she drops her head in embarrassment.

"Did I make a mistake? I mean, should I have even went out there last week? Like, if this is a waste of time, I just put Sasha on my back for no fucking reason. And I managed to survive us avoiding each other for years! But now? Oh my god, what am I doing?!" Carmella cries now in full force. She covers her face and all of a sudden, her doubts are back. Every day since last Tuesday, Carmella has been going back and forth on whether she made the right decision but now, even if she decides to drop her plan, she still has a match against Sasha and Bayley next!

"Nonono, Mella don't cry!" Truth immediately jumps to pull her in for a close and personal hug. He pats her hair in a soothing stroke to try to calm her. "I don't think it's going to waste! At least you're actually trying! And I commend you for that! I think even though Bayley and Sasha are dirty dancing, I think somewhere deep, _ deeeeeep _ inside, Bayley feels that something is wrong. All she needs is a friendly reminder from someone she once loved more than the world itself. It won't be easy but I think it's possible!"

Carmella lifts her tear stained face from Truth's shirt and looks up at him, eyes filled with vulnerability and the need of reassurance.

"I'm team Baymax still. If anyone can do it, its you because you are a great person with a pure soul and a heart that cannot be measured because its uncontainable. You are the bestest friend I've ever had, Mella. _ And I've met Tupac_!"

Carmella cracks a small giggle. Although she has panic pulsing all throughout her body, she felt somewhat brought back to earth. Not entirely but somewhat. She tries to breathe slowly to collect herself. 

"See, I'm a real friend. Would Bayley rub your feet at a time like this? No!" Truth reminds Carmella as he does just that. Since they've been in this room, Truth has been rubbing down her legs and feet without being asked. And as particular as Carmella is about being touched, she didn't even think twice about it.

"But I'm massaging your feet because I know what it's like to constantly run from people. And you got a match so you're going to be extra tired so im trying to energize your little toes and heels and soles ahead of time. That's what a _ real _ friend does. Bayley is loyal to one person and I'll tell you who it ain't."

"Me…." Carmella lowers her face once again.

"No. Herself!" Truth corrects. "She's not even loyal to herself. And that's sad. How can you not be loyal to yourself? Damn, you gotta be one following motherfucker to not be loyal to your own damn reflection. Couldn't be me! I love myself! And I love you too!" Truth taps Carmella's kneecaps.

"After myself, I'm loyal to you because you care about me. All those times those dwarfs tried to get at me, you were right there. That is some Grade A, chef Ramsay, friendship shit right there. Not even Sasha can say that, with her blue devil ass, walking around here looking like a vampire with that crystal around her neck. I'm surprised that thing hasn't burned yet. But anyways, you got this, Mella!"

Carmella sniffles. This is the pep talk she needed. None of the other girls could have done this for her especially now since they are chasing her for the title. She reaches into her nearby bag and fishes for a napkin or a wipe of some sort, her makeup definitely is going to have to be retouched. 

"But Sasha is really, really fucking good." Mella keeps her eyes low and voice even lower. She holds the tissue in her hand, "What if I don't last in there?"

"Sasha fought Becky at Clash and _ ran _ from her!" Truth respond, loudly. His eyes looked wild and brows shot up but that's just his serious face. "Went all up in the concession area and got BEAT up over there in front of all those employees and people! What the fuck? How you got mustard on your back like that and you supposed to be "The Boss"? If _ my _ boss got punked like that, I'm out that bitch! I'm gone! _ But you _….."

Truth wags a finger at Carmella. 

"You fought Becky AND Charlotte for that Rumble contender match and held your shit _ down _! Period! People were talking about you in that match for weeks! Okay?! Not to mention, you beat ASUKA." he throws his hands up, glancing around the room just in case nobody understood what he just said.

_ "Asuka! _ Twice! And won Money in the Bank, AND beat Charlotte for the title, and then held onto that bitch for a while. Plus, you just won the Wrestlemania battle royal! Give yourself some credit, Mella!" he shakes her as of to wake her up and rattle some self-confidence into her. "You've been improving a lot!"

Carmella nods as a small smile appears. Hearing Truth run down her accolades really helps paint the picture he wants her to see. So often, Carmella thinks of the here and now but doesn't stop to think that she isn't just a random rookie in this game. She's trained for this. She belongs here and has shown that repeatedly. Maybe Truth is right….maybe she does need to give herself some more credit. 

"Look, based on what you told me, you know that Sasha is gonna come out hard, right out the gate, just to put paws on you. You said she's been waiting to do it so she's gonna really show out. She can do that! But that means you gotta be faster. You gotta be calculated and swift. Just like we practiced last week: Strike_ , move, strike, move. _Once you get a hot streak going, don't let up. She's slippery but you already studied that and how to avoid her traps. Bayley is much tougher so try to stay out of that match up."

"I feel like Bayley would leave me more to Sasha rather than her and I going at it..."

"She might. But hey! You're teaming with Charlotte! That woman can beat up her own daddy and not feel bad about it. That's a true Ice Queen right there. I think you set!"

Carmella takes in a deep breath before she turns to her partner in crime. Her appreciation for him has always been high but right now, it's skyscraper high. Even through his odd euphemisms and animated way of explaining things, she feels entirely grateful for his presence. 

"Thank you, Truth. I know I tell you this quite a lot but I'm so glad you're in my life and still here for me despite everything. I love you too."

"Daw! You little chipmunk."

The two best of friends embrace each other for a long few seconds, Carmella really relaxing into him and Truth soothing her back. He never likes seeing Carmella that upset and noticing that she's been acting a bit weird lately, he made sure to get to the bottom of it and listen to whatever she needed to get out. Because that's what real friends do. 

"C'mon, now." he helps her get to her feet with an extension of his hand. "You got a match to win, Ms. Fabulous 24/7, European champ!"

….…..

The anticipation is out of this very world when Carmella stands in her corner with Charlotte as Sasha and Bayley enter the ring. The match is beginning with her and Sasha going first and Carmella feels the fight or flight activating within her. She was shaking lightly but with one glance down at Truth, motivating her from the side as her manager, she feels a bit more secure.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Sasha points at both Charlotte and Carmella as soon as she takes off her jacket and tosses it out the ring.

"Relax! Leave me alone!" Carmella yells back at Sasha as Charlotte stands beside her with her head held up and face unmoved. 

When the referee orders the teams to go into their corners, Charlotte turns to Carmella, giving her a single look before she goes to her position by the ring post.

The bell dings and right when Carmella goes for the match starting lock up, Sasha thrusts her knee into her stomach and slams her head backwards into the mat. Of course. This is the 'right out the gate' she anticipated Sasha to do but dammit, it still took her for a surprise.

But still, she keeps on with her and Truth's gameplan: calculated and fast, catch a hot streak, tag. 

And luckily with a quick reversal at the corner buckle, buying her an extra four seconds of time, Carmella puts that strategy to work. She is able to get an upper hand on Sasha a few times with a boot to the face, a hurricanna from the second rope, and a clothesline, all to keep Sasha down. And in that moment, Carmella feels that this win could be a lot closer than she originally thought.

Until she got caught slipping with a fierce right hook from Sasha. 

The immense pressure of Sasha's fist connecting with Carmella's jaw felt like Sasha snuck on her brass ring. No time was wasted when Sasha grabs Carmella by the hair and tosses her out of the ring. 

"And a tag made by Bayley!"

Carmella is slow to move her body after hitting the ground hard on her shoulder, snacking the side of the apron on her way down. She manages to get herself on all fours when she sees someone walking up to her from her peripheral.

"Hey!" Carmella hears Truth a few feet away from her before she saw gold boots slowly walking in front of her.

Carmella sluggishly glances up to see Bayley standing over her like Goliath, watching her. She felt really small under Bayley's gaze when they both catch each other's eyes. Carmella can't necessarily read Bayley's face in order to predict what she's going to do next and that scares her. 

Bayley presses her lips together as she grabs Carmella, putting her hands on both sides of her head to lift her to her feet. Something about the way Bayley is holding Carmella is calm and passive. It's this Bayley. This is the Bayley Carmella needed, this Bayley she had to reach out to. Even though they are opponents, as she stood up, Carmella felt like she could breath for a se-

Carmella's head snaps back as the point blank punch from Bayley rocks Carmella's world.

The fight. The sounds. The crowd. The Chase Arena.

Everything slows down.

Everything goes silent. 

The ringing in Carmella's ear and the fast beating of her heart is the only thing she can process as she feels herself being lifted to her feet again for another powerful right to her cheek. The force spins her around, making her hardly steady on her feet. Barely able to see in front of her without everything doubling, she feels Bayley grabbing her from behind and all Carmella could do is reach her hands out for Bayley's body as a surrender. A silent gesture for her to stop. 

However, she doesn't. She bounces Carmella head off the top cover of the commenters' table, laying her out. Among all the commotion she was experiencing, Carmella tries to buy some time by refusing to move. Bayley grabs at her anyway and with her hearing muffled words of the commenters talk right behind them and the fans hollering, Carmella's ears something loud and clear - Bayley's voice.

_ "For you." _

She yanks Carmella off the table and rushes her back into the ring where she attempts the pin.

_ "For you." _

Carmella musters the strength to kick out right before the three count. Not even able to get up, Bayley kneels over her, continuing the towering dynamic between them. Carmella weakly opens her eyes to Bayley glaring down at her.

"You're telling people I've changed?!" she screams at her former girlfriend. Carmella flinches with her hand shielding her face, not wanting to get hit again. Bayley pulls her head up by her hair, getting more face to face, forcing Carmella to look at her. 

"I've changed, huh?!"

All Carmella could do is try to hold Bayley's hands; placing her hands on top of Bayley's black hand wraps. She wasn't able to say anything or defend herself before she was punched again. This time caught right on the nose. Carmella is defenseless as Bayley lifts her head again and punches her for the fourth time. This time with so much power, Carmella's head rebounds off the mat. It doesn't stop there as her head lifted once more for the fifth and sixth punch. Carmella felt like crying right in the middle of that ring and quitting the match Indefinitely. Bayley was beating on her like a passive housewife that didn't do as she said after an hour of drinking hard liquor.

And like the drunk husband she acted as, she then got up and stood over her as such, looking down at Carmella like she was an insignificant, pathetic, human being. Even when Carmella tried to crawl away, Bayley made sure she was going nowhere and instead tossed her into Sasha's direction for the tag.

Carmella feels as if this is a handicap 2 vs 1 match with how neither Sasha or Bayley was letting up on her. The constant head slams and punches puts her in a house of mirrors she couldn't break out of. Except every time you walk into a mirror, you're struck in the face, followed by a mocking laugh or smart remark from Sasha Banks.

After tagging each other in back and forth like a sick game, Bayley grabs a feeble Carmella to press her into a body slam when Carmella uses the only energy she had left and reverses the slam mid air. She grabs the base of Bayley's ponytail and yanks with all her might to switch their momentum and force Bayley to fall backwards, back of the head thwacking right onto the mat. This causes both girls to be out for the count as Bayley flops around in pain and Carmella laying on her side with no strength to even think about moving.

"CARMELLA!"

She hears her name being bellowed. Charlotte extends out her long arms over the ropes for Carmella to touch as Truth riles up the crowd on their behalf. Carmella knew she had to make the tag. She knew that if she allows Bayley to recover before she is able to make it to the corner, the match is as good as over. She crawls as fast as she can, which is not fast at all, towards Charlotte's hand when she feels Bayley's hand grab for her shoe.

"_Fuck_ _you_." Carmella mumbles to herself as self motivation and tugs her leg away from Bayley's grasp. 

Just a few more inches away from Charlotte's hand……and……….

"TAG! HERE COMES FLAIR!"

Carmella hears the excitement from the crowd as bodies can be heard falling almost immediately. She rolls out of the ring onto the floor where Truth runs to support her.

"Whew! That Flair is kicking ass!" Truth helps Mella sit up against the apron. He's excitedly switching his view from Carmella to Charlotte when Carmella bursts into a sob behind her hands.

"I can't do this, Truth. I can't. I don't want to do this anymore." she cries, embarrassingly hiding her face from the row of fans right in front of her. 

Truth bends down, both shielding her and keeping his voice in a hushed whisper so nobody could hear him.

"You're going to quit the match?!" he asks in shock.

"_I don't want to be here _." Carmella shakes her head while her face is still covered.

"But Mella, you can't quit! At least prove something tonight and win! Let Charlotte get it for you, at least!"

"Look what Bayley did to me, Truth!" Carmella throws her hand down, revealing all. She couldn't see what she looks like but she can _ feel _it. Truth brows go crazy with the sight of Carmella gradually forming a bruise on her cheekbone and her lips looking redder than usual. 

"I mean ...luckily for you, it looks like a part of your makeup," Truth tries to minimize the injury with some kind of positivity. "Like a red lip gloss and a contour or somethin'."

"She doesn't care about anything anymore. She doesn't care about me." Carmella whines and puts her hands right back to her face. "I feel like my nose is broken."

"Okay, just breathe for a second, Mella." Truth glances back up to the ring where Charlotte just launches Bayley hard onto her back. He cheers Charlotte on but quickly murmurs back to Carmella, "Just take your time and breathe. It looks like Charlotte got this."

Tired. Carmella is tired. Fucking fed up. She's fighting a losing battle that she's now realizing she lost before it even began.

Despite it all, the embarrassment and frustration, something, somewhere within her, her tears are making her angry. Like the very notion that she is crying right now on live television pissed her off. All the little comments Sasha was making under her breath pissed her off. Bayley's "For you" remark to Sasha pissed her off. Everything pissed her the fuck off. The match is still going and she wanted to quit, just as those two want.

Fuck that. Her parents didn't raise no bitch.

Carmella swiftly wipes under her eyes and clenches her teeth before she pops up. She sees Charlotte stunned on the second corner buckle on their side and decides Charlotte needs a break. She hops onto the ring, taps Charlotte's shoulder, jumps herself on top of the top rope. Sasha is slow to rise to her feet when Carmella dives and lands right on top of her with a flying cross body.

"CARMELLA! YEAH!" Truth screams as Carmella springs back to her feet.

Sasha isn't even able to get on her knees before Carmella delivers a stiff superkick right to her chin, making her stagger backwards. 

Sasha, unwillingly to be played by one single kick, hops onto the middle rope to slam on Carmella when Carmella slips right underneath her mid-air. Sasha lands with a safety roll and turns around to be greeted by an even harder superkick, this time the bottom of Carmella's sneaker making contact square in the middle of Sasha's face. Sasha folds into herself, completely limp.

"SASHA'S OUT! THIS COULD BE IT!" 

"1! 2!"

Bayley hammers down on Carmella's back to break the pin.

"Fuck!" Carmella hisses to herself with the ache of that strike on her bare skin. 

Bayley pulls her up by her hair and attempts to toss Carmella out the ring when Carmella reverses it and chucks Bayley in-between the ropes instead. Seeing that Bayley is trying to hold her balance from falling, Carmella looks at her. The look is brief but felt much longer than a second. Her glance at Bayley felt like a longing goodbye. The conclusion of a love letter about to be tossed into the burning fireplace. The look Rose gave Jack before she had to pry his frozen hands a part and off the wooden door keeping her afloat.

Her face hardens and pops out her leg to kick Bayley in the stomach, getting an exclamation of pain in response. Still holding onto the rope, though hunched over, Carmella looks to finish the job and uses extra force to kick Bayley in the face. Carmella watches Bayley immediately lose her grip on the ropes and fall flat on her back on the ground.

This newfound strength along with the crowd and Truth cheering her on, Carmella glances back at Sasha getting up and decides it's time to end things once and for all. 

Running off the ropes Carmella spins Sasha in a half hurricanna before she flips her into a quick pin. She puts her whole body weight into keeping Sasha down but Sasha finds a way to buck her off and instantaneously grabs her neck for the Bank Statement.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Carmella screams in her head as she tries to maneuver her way out of the submission. Her panic made Sasha hold even tighter, pulling her neck back even harder to the point Carmella couldn't breathe. 

Where is Charlotte to stop this?!

"HOW MUCH CAN CARMELLA WITHSTAND?!"

"CARMELLA, NO CHOICE, TAPS BANKS, BANKS LAUGHING AS SHE DOES IT."

Sasha laughs maniacally into Carmella's ear before shoving her head like discarded trash. As the announcer calls out Sasha and Bayley's name for the win, Carmella rolls off to the side of the ring, completely defeated.

Truth reaches out for Carmella, dragging her out and onto his shoulders right as the women's roster empties out on the ramp. Truth snatches Carmella's title and takes off running while hauling a beaten Carmella out of the arena floor.

…..…..

After hiding out in R-Truth's rental for nearly half an hour, it gave Carmella a chance to rehabilitate herself and reflect on what happened during the match. She couldn't believe the beatdown that she received from Bayley's fists. It was such a surreal yet needed reality check for her. Truth was right from the beginning. Sasha and Bayley have swapped blood and made a pact that could never be broken. It was foolish of her to think she could get in-between and in Bayley's ear when Sasha and Bayley have been together for as long as her and Bayley have been apart. 

While her plan of getting Bayley to stop herself from self destruction has failed miserably, there is only one other way she can still get some kind of results.

"Charlotte."

Charlotte didn't even have to glance behind her to know exactly who is pestering her. 

"There's no need for us to keep talking. We had a match, you lost it, and that's it." Charlotte continued to roll her small luggage down the parking lot concrete on her way to her car.

"No, wait, I'm here to help you." Carmella tries to get her attention despite her being overwhelmingly disinterested.

"_Right _. You've failed at that. There is nothing I w-"

"You said that you care about nothing other than your own goal of getting that title back, right?"

"And what about it?"

"I'm going to help you get that title. Once and for all."

Charlotte finally slows to a stop and turns to Carmella right beside her. Carmella's apparent bruise from their match is coming in a little more visually. She crosses her arms with a pointed stare.

"You can't even win in a match against Sasha. What could you possibly do to help _ me _become champion? Please, enlightenment me because I want to hear this."

Carmella nods her head and readies her hands like she was about to give a pitch. "I know when to come through when it's needed."

"And this match wasn't needed?" Charlotte's face twists doubtfully.

"I came through at Money in the Bank-"

"With the help of a man."

_"Then, _ I won it again by myself." Carmella returns back the attitude with her own snip. She continues on, "I won at Mania."

Charlotte scoffs out a laugh. "Ha! The preshow? I main evented that Mania." she reminds her with the deepening of her voice. "_Try again _."

"I fended off Asuka twice while champion."

"That's nothing when I was the one to break her streak."

"And I took the belt away from _ you _ and ended yours." Carmella boldly stepped up to Charlotte, staring up at her with seemingly no fear. 

Despite the reference of Carmella cashing in on Charlotte at a point of weakness, Carmella's recklessness of shit talking Charlotte to her face humored her. It's like a dachshund growling at a great dane. Charlotte is tickled.

"Not that I _ need any help _winning a championship match but….." Charlotte puffs out her chest with a deep inhale. Her eyes watches Carmella very carefully. "Why is this a priority of yours, hm? What is in this for you?"

"To watch the beginning of the end." Carmella simply answers, emotionless.

"The end of what."

"Of everything."


End file.
